Room with a view

Young Englishwoman Lucy sets off on a sightseeing trip through Italy. In Florence, she meets the unconventional Giorgio, whose spontaneity both attracts and unsettles her. After fleeing to Rome, she finds herself close to the confident Cecil, who represents a safe but binding choice. Upon returning to England, Lucy is forced to decide between the two men she loves - and above all, between obedience to social conventions and her own desire for freedom.

The novel, set in late Victorian society at the beginning of the 20th century, addresses the loss of innocence, the clash with rigid morality, and women' s right to personal independence. A Room with a View is one of Forster' s most widely read works and was also adapted into a successful film starring Helena Bonham Carter.